Vietnamese Denounce U Thant's Latest™

Confirmation of the criticism which The Week has been making of the slogan "Support U Thant" has come from Vietnam. In an article in the official newspaper Nhan Dan, U Thant's recent Vietnam truce proposals were described as "supporting and encouraging U.S. imperialism." The paper went on to say that U Thant's suggestion for a general stand-still truce, followed by preliminary talks and the reconvening of the Geneva conference, put the "victim of aggression on the same footing as the aggressor. The truce proposal would, it said, "amount in fact to demanding that the Vietnamese people lay down their arms and give up the fight against U.S. aggressors while nearly 500,000 U.S. troops still tread on Vietnamese soil. "Such an approach constitutes in itself an encouragement to the U.S. aggressors in Vietnam," the paper concluded. Le Monde of April 3rd had this to say about Thant's latest proposals: "The publication by Mr. Thant of his new 'peace plan' for Vietnam undoubtedly constitutes a success for the United States. The United Nations secretary-general unquestionably strengthened the American position that any cessation of the bombings should coincide with a reciprocity move from Hanoi...." The paper continued: "Mr. Thant's attempt, whose failure was foreseeable, is all the more to be regretted since it is already interpreted. in Peking as further evidence of the secretary-general's alignment with 'American imperialism.'...." (my emphasis, D.W.) Thus those who carried the slogan: "Support U Thant" find themselves supporting what Le Monde describes as a success for the United States. Whilst T have to agree with The Week's recent leaflet which said that the good faith of the overwhelming majority of those who carried this slogan could not be doubted, I find it hard to see why some politically experienced people should stick to the slogan. The movement in Britain has been continually hindered and confused by the lack of a clear political line. Confronted by a wily politician like Wilson, the movement must stop making these mistakes. Real opposition to the war in Vietnam can only be built by explaining its real character: that of a war of aggression by a rich capitalist state against a poor peasant country.